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Apple is revolutionizing the medical world by releasing a Health Records API for developers and medical researchers. PERS industry manufacturers can rejoice too, knowing it will become available to them as well. These health records will be used to create a network of health apps to better record medical data, guide medication use, manage nutrition plans and even diagnose diseases. The Health Records feature can seamlessly transfer desired information from the doctor’s office to a patient’s phone.
Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer noted on the company's decision to release the API. “Medical information may be the most important personal information to a consumer, and offering access to Health Records was the first step in empowering them. Now...patients are on the path to receiving a holistic view of their health.”
He continues, “With the Health Records API open to our incredible community of developers and researchers, consumers can personalize their health needs with the apps they use every day.”
Patients from over 500 hospitals and clinics–thanks to the Health Records feature–will now be able to access their medical information in an unprecedented way. They can share their health records from multiple hospitals with apps that they trust and use regularly to help them more easily manage their medical needs.
Health app developers can make highly individualized user experiences, with that user’s permission, based on their particular health history, specifically across these categories:
Medication management apps can connect with the Health Records API to directly import their prescriptions without any need for manual entry. Consumers can be given reminders to take their medication, and warnings if there are any problematic drug-to-drug interactions through the comprehensive view the Health Records feature has on the patient’s medication lists from multiple clinics and hospitals.
Health developers will more specifically be able to track more information on Parkinson’s disease with the Health Records API. Through motion tracking sensors on the Apple Watch (i.e. accelerometers and gyroscopes) researchers can analyze how Parkinson’s patients respond to medication from one appointment to the next.
Apps for meal planning could specifically recommend meal plans with lower sodium levels if high blood pressure levels are detected, or high fiber meals based on a patient’s cholesterol levels.
Researchers in the past have had to painstakingly compile patient questionnaires and surveys to figure out previous health history in order to move forward in research. This was not only time-consuming, but also difficult for the patient to remember and could be slightly inaccurate without immediate recorded details. Now, researches will be able to access medical information immediately and accurately for more comprehensive research.
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